So... What Does Awe Actually Feel Like?
Picture this: You're standing at the edge of a massive cliff, staring out at the ocean stretching infinitely before you. Suddenly, you feel tiny. Your breath catches. Maybe you get goosebumps. Time feels different—like it's slowing down just for you.
That's awe, my friend. And once you know what it feels like, you'll start noticing it everywhere.
Maybe it's when you watched your kid take their first steps. Or when you looked up at a sky packed with stars during a camping trip. Or that time you saw your favorite band live and couldn't quite process what was happening. These aren't just "nice moments"—they're moments of genuine awe, and they're doing way more for you than you probably realize.
Scientists have actually studied this stuff (because of course they have). Back in 2003, they nailed down that awe has two key ingredients: feeling like something is vast—either physically or in terms of what it means to you—and being completely unable to process it in the moment. Pretty cool, right?
They also identified what triggers awe: things like beauty, threats (in a good way—like watching a nature documentary), exceptional ability, virtue, and even the supernatural. Basically, anything that makes you go "whoa" and really mean it.
Here's Where It Gets Really Interesting
Here's what blows my mind: research shows that people experience awe, on average, about twice a week without even trying. Twice a week! We're walking around having these profound emotional experiences and barely registering them.
And the benefits? Oh, they're substantial.
People who regularly feel awe tend to have lower levels of cytokines—those proteins in your body that cause inflammation. They've also reported feeling less stressed, less lonely, and here's a wild one: less materialistic. Like, you could literally save money and feel better by just... noticing more beauty around you.
This sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it?
The Study That Changed Everything
In 2022, researchers at UCSF decided to put awe to the test in a really practical way. They took healthy older adults and had half of them go on weekly 15-minute walks for eight weeks—but with a twist. The "awe walk" group was specifically asked to look for awe-inspiring things: the patterns in leaves, the feeling of sunshine, the smell of flowers, the way light hits buildings.
The other group just... walked. Same amount of time, same frequency, but no specific focus on awe.
The results? The awe walkers reported feeling more joy, more compassion, more gratitude, and less daily distress. The regular walkers? No significant changes.
The lead researcher, neuroscientist Dr. Virginia Sturm, said the benefits came as a "complete surprise" to the team. And here's the best part: she says these results would likely apply to anyone, not just older adults.
The "Small Self" Effect
Here's what's happening in your brain during these moments. When you experience awe, something called the "small self" phenomenon kicks in—you literally start to feel smaller in relation to the world around you. In the study, participants were asked to take selfies during their walks. The awe group? Their smiles got bigger and bigger each week, and they started making themselves smaller in the photos, focusing more on their surroundings.
Meanwhile, the control group showed more self-focused thoughts in their journals—you know, the usual worrying about upcoming travel, thinking about themselves.
Awe seems to "turn off" the part of your brain that ruminates and worries, and it activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is basically your body's "chill out and feel good" mode.
You Can Do This Anywhere. Seriously.
The beautiful thing about this whole concept is that you don't need to book a flight to the Grand Canyon to experience awe. Dr. Sturm puts it perfectly: "It doesn't have to be a walk. You can find awe sitting at your desk or petting your dog."
Seriously. Petting your dog.
All you have to do is shift your attention outward. Use your senses. Notice the details in your environment that you normally gloss over. That weird pattern on your ceiling. The way light catches your coffee cup. The sound of rain on the window.
And here's the really wonderful thing: the more you practice, the easier it gets. The awe-walkers in the study reported feeling more awe with each passing week. It's not one of those "diminishing returns" situations where the magic wears off. It's the opposite.
The more you look for wonder, the more wonder you find.
I don't know about you, but I'm going to start paying more attention. This stuff is free, it's simple, and apparently, it's science's best-kept secret for feeling better.
Why not give it a try today? What's the most awe-inspiring thing you can spot from where you're sitting right now?
Source: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a71605901/how-to-experience-awe